The Sinn Féin president, Mary Lou McDonald, apologized for the 1979 murder of Lord Mountbatten, the uncle of the Duke of Edinburgh.
After Prince Philip’s funeral, she told Times Radio she was sorry Mountbatten, 79, was killed when the fishing boat he was on was blown up by an IRA bomb.
Asked if she would be willing to apologize to Prince Charles, who regarded Mountbatten as almost a grandfather, she said: ‘The army and the armed forces associated with Prince Charles have many violent actions on our island exported.
“Of course I can say I’m sorry it happened. Of course, it’s heartbreaking. My job, and I think Prince Charles and others will absolutely appreciate it, is my job to distract myself from now on in these times. ”
She added: ‘I believe it is all our job to ensure that no other child, no other family, no matter who they are, suffers the same trauma and grief that was common on all sides of this island and beyond.
“I have an absolute responsibility to make sure no family faces it again, and I would like to repeat this weekend that your queen buried her beloved husband.”
Mountbatten died while fishing off the coast of Mullaghmore, County Sligo, where he was vacationing in his summer home from Classiebawn Castle. Also, his 14-year-old grandson, Nicholas Knatchbull, police officer Paul Maxwell (15) on holiday from Enniskillen, and Lady Doreen Brabourne, the 83-year-old mother-in-law of Mountbatten’s daughter, are also dead.
The apology represents a change in the tone of McDonald’s’ predecessor, Gerry Adams, who, although he regretted the murder, earlier said Mountbatten knew the risks of traveling to Ireland. The IRA maintained that Mountbatten was a legitimate target.
Her comments come six years after Adams and Prince Charles shook hands during a historic meeting at the National University of Ireland Galway in 2015. Adams spoke afterward, saying Mountbatten “knew the danger”.
Charles is on the same visit to Mullaghmore, where he spoke of his “anxiety of such a deep loss.” He added: “But through this horrific experience, I now understand the deep-seated anxieties that so many other people carry on these islands, of whatever faith, denomination or political tradition.”